A reflection on 50 years of nursing

By Jennifer Grieve, Hall & Prior’s former General Manager Health & Care Services

When I look back over my 50 years of nursing, four decades of them spent in aged care, I’m both proud and humbled.

Proud because there have been so many improvements made in the aged care sector which embrace a whole of person care approach and humbled, because there is so much more work to be done.

I believe that the global phenomenon of longer life is one of humanity’s greatest achievements, and its greatest challenges to date.

Living longer challenges our governments to provide funding for the care we need, it challenges the health profession to provide enough competent and compassionate staff and it challenges our families and the support networks we rely on to help us live our best lives.

It’s true that 50, 60, 70 and 80 don’t look like they used to, but ageing is different for everyone, and I have long held the belief that the age of your next birthday means little in relation to how you feel and how you behave - you can be old at 30 and young at 90.

But the triumph of longevity will mean nothing unless we can challenge and reimagine ageing to benefit all of its constituents.

We need to reject the narrow view of older age as a time of disempowerment, problems and limitations in favour of new thinking built upon the principles of holistic health, dignity, respect, choice and possibilities.

Gerontological nursing is emerging from the shadows with a much sharper focus, as it becomes recognised as a speciality in its own right and an attractive career choice.

At the same time, health and aged care services are being acknowledged as serious and valued partners in the health sector.

All aspects of this field are evolving and pleasingly, nursing is at the forefront of this evolution. Nurses are stepping up as leaders in clinical, management, education and research.

Nurses are also actively challenging ageism and its negative forces and influences. But the ethos of nursing remains the same . . . competence, kindness, compassion and empathy (not sympathy) must always underpin our endeavours. As does judicious use of finite health resources.

Gerontological nursing can be described as a field of nursing dedicated to improving the holistic health and wellbeing of older people.

This means acknowledging the “whole person” and their wishes for their physical, mental, social, spiritual, cultural, environmental and financial health and wellbeing. When you care for an older person, that partnership also extends to their family and significant others.

It is vitally important for nurses to be allowed to take the time to learn about older people; to hear their life stories and understand what is meaningful in their life, because this informs their care.

I’ll never tire of this part of nursing and the wonderful stories I’ve heard along the way. Every one of us helps shape society in big and small

Caring Profession

ways. Author Arthur C. Brooks refers to the knowledge of older people as “crystallised wisdom” and I believe this wisdom is not embraced enough by society.

In the past 50 years, nursing has become inclusive and empowering, respectful and dignified. In short, nurses now care beside and with older people not for them. It is a collaborative approach which creates individualised health and aged care solutions together. The privilege of trust of another human life can never be underestimated; and this trust must never be misplaced. That’s why it’s imperative to have a workforce of highly skilled, motivated and passionate nurses with comprehensive clinical knowledge in the aged care sector.

On reflection of my own career, aged care chose me at a time when it was not considered an exciting or even well-regarded nursing speciality. But I found it quite the opposite; complex, dynamic, exciting and brimming with opportunities to make a difference to people’s health and wellbeing.

Political and spiritual leader Ghandi once famously said, “The true measure of society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable” and right now, I believe now we have an opportunity to redefine not just how we treat our elderly, but how old age is experienced.

Specialising in aged care goes right to the heart of what it is to be a nurse, and how wonderful it is for future generations of nurses to become tomorrow’s leaders, re-shaping and enhancing how old age is experienced.

Having health and wellbeing in the same sentence as aged care denotes a shift from, “you’re old, nothing else can be done” to “there is always something that can be done.”

The aged care of the future must focus on healing and nurturing, not sickness and sadness.

It is an immense privilege to age, but we need to look after that privilege and cherish it as the gift it is.

This article was first published in the West Australian. Jennifer Grieve was recently honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the WA Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Awards. She is the first aged care nurse to ever receive the honour.